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Dewgong is a sea lion Pokémon. Its body is extremely streamlined, allowing it to swim up to 8 knots. Its fins and tail are larger, stronger, more fish-like, and more developed than its pre-evolution's. Its long tail is able to change swimming direction quickly when needed. It is covered in pure white coat of fur that obscures it from the view of predators when in the snow. It also has a layer of thick fat, that allows it to store thermal energy and protects it from intensely cold water and air. Dewgong also has a small black nose, and fangs or small tusks protruding out of its upper jaw.
Gender differences
None.
Special abilities
Dewgong's pure white fur allows it to camouflage with the snow. They are capable of turning with surprising precision. Dewgong are capable of learning many Ice- and Water-type moves.
Behavior
Dewgong are very active in bitterly cold temperatures. At night, Dewgong go out hunting for food, after sleeping most of the day. They love to sleep under shallow ocean waters or on ice floes.
Dewgong usually live in frigid seas filled with ice floes. Their natural range includes the Seafoam Islands of the Kanto region, as well as parts of the Sinnoh region. They have also been found in Unova's Giant Chasm.
Dewgong loves to snooze on bitterly cold ice. The sight of this Pokémon sleeping on a glacier was mistakenly thought to be a mermaid by a mariner long ago.
Dewgong and Spheal's evolution line are the only Pokémon to have a "triple resistance", thanks to the Thick Fat Ability.
Origin
Dewgong is based on the aquatic dwelling tropical mammal, the dugong. Its is of the same order as the manatee, which resides in the Western Hemisphere. The four known living members of the order all currently inhabit warm waters, a source of conflict with Dewgong's Ice-type affinity. However, an extinct closer evolutionary relative from the same family (Dugongidae), the Steller's Sea Cow, once existed in the cold Arctic waters of the Bering Sea. While it is suggested that Dewgong was partially inspired by other water dwelling aquatic polar mammals; seals, sea lions, the Harp Seal, the Hooded Seal, the ringed seal, et al.; the Sirenian fossil record suggests the prominence of enlarged incisors that are absent in the modern variants of the dugong, a feature that is noticeable in Dewgong.
Name origin
Dewgong is a portmanteau of dew and dugong, as well as a corruption of dugong (a relative of the manatee). Dew may refer to the natural phenomenon of water vapor condensing in the presence of a cold surface. Dew formation at sufficiently low temperatures turns into frost, a possible reference to Dewgong's dual type affinity.
This Pokémon article is part of Project Pokédex, a Bulbapedia project that aims to write comprehensive articles on each Pokémon species, as well as Pokémon groups and forms.